This invention relates to bathing devices, and, more particularly, to bathing devices of a portable type for use where most convenient by invalids or physically limited persons.
Various types of portable bathing devices have been known for some time which have been intended to provide means for physically handicapped persons to bathe in relative comfort compared to the inconvenience and discomfort of their bathing in a conventional bath tub or shower stall. While some of the previous portable bathing devices have provided means for a handicapped person to transfer himself with less effort to the bathing device positioned adjacent his bed or wheel chair than he would endure in transferring himself to a bath tub, many of these devices still have inconvenient or potentially dangerous qualities. For example, some of these recently developed portable bathing devices include movable seats upon which the handicapped person must be seated, presumably, in most cases, in being transferred from his wheel chair to the bathing device. Also, in certain of these bathing devices the movable seat is constructed to extend slidably externally of the bathing device for a short distance so that the patient's wheel chair may be brought into position closely adjacent the seat. Other devices even incorporate the seat into the swinging door of the bathing device, upon which the patient seats himself, and then either he or an attendant swings the door shut so that the patient is then seated inside the device and the door forms a sealed enclosure.
It is obvious that there is a certain inherent danger involved in transferring a physically limited person from a wheel chair to a movable seat, especially to a seat positioned on a swinging door of the device. The physically limited person does not have complete control of his movements, and it is difficult enough for such a person to move his body to a substantially immovable seat, much less a seat which is likely to slide uncontrollably as he attempts to seat himself thereon.
Moreover, in all of the bathing devices which we have seen, the various means for controlling the flow of water into the bathing device, the temperature of the water, recycling of the water by activation of pump means, forced draining of the device, etc., have been positioned where these control means are available to the physically limited person occupying the device.
We believe that there is also a certain degree of inherent danger in placing the controls where they are accessible to the handicapped person because this person is using such a bathing device because his faculties are limited for some reason, either illness, age, post-operative weakened condition. If he is able only to open valves partially by reason of loss of strength or agility, or open wrong valves, turn on or off wrong switches by reason of loss of faculties through sedation, he is subject to considerable potential injury.